April 1: Minnesota State Mankato's Douglas R. Moore Faculty Research Lecture to Address Impact of Dark Tourism on Communities, Challenges for Local Governments

Wednesday, April 1, 2026
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Ostrander Auditorium

Mankato, Minn. – The 52^nd annual Douglas R. Moore Faculty Research Lecture at Minnesota State University, Mankato, on Wednesday, April 1 at 6 p.m., is a presentation by Professor Beth Wielde Heidelberg that addresses dark tourism.

Heidelberg’s presentation, titled “Ghosts Among Us: Local Government Support for Dark Tourism in the United States and United Kingdom,” is free and open to the public and will be delivered in Ostrander Auditorium, located in Minnesota State Mankato’s Centennial Student Union. A reception will follow the lecture in the Wambdi Wapaha Lounge, adjacent to the auditorium. Free parking will be available in the visitors pay lot (lot 4) across from Centennial Student Union.

Heidelberg is a professor of urban and regional studies at Minnesota State Mankato and specializes in architectural preservation policy and urban planning. Her research examines the impact of dark tourism on communities and the complex challenges local governments face when their most recognizable event or primary tourist attraction is rooted in tragedy, death, disaster or unsettling folklore. Her work seeks to identify the policy considerations, practical needs and long-range planning strategies required when integrating dark tourism into community development.

For more information about the lecture, please contact Amber Power by phone at 507-389-1335 or by email at amber.power@mnsu.edu.

The annual Douglas R. Moore Lecture celebrates excellence in research at Minnesota State Mankato. This will be the 52^nd such lecture, and the 39^th named after Moore, who established the event.

Moore was president of then-Mankato State University from 1974 to 1978. His tenure saw the transformation of Mankato State College into a university, as well as the consolidation of the lower and upper campuses and construction of a new administration building.

Minnesota State Mankato, a comprehensive university with 15,721 students, is part of the Minnesota State system, which includes 26 colleges and seven universities.